Issues and Ideas

Wednesdays, 1:00PM - 2:00PM

Issues & Issues and Ideas is a show that features a wide variety of voices sharing their thoughts and perspectives about local people, issues and events on the Central Coast. You might hear a policy maker discussing new regulation, an artist sharing his creative process, an entrepreneur exploring sustainable business practices, or an author talking about her latest book.

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Life in America and most poignantly in the Hawaiian Islands was jarringly transformed in one day, the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war by President Roosevelt. Marshall Law was declared and remained in effect throughout the war. Come along and join Bishop Museum Historian Desoto Brown as he recalls his 30 years of research about life on the island of Oahu during WWII.

Back in 1946 five year-old Jimmy Hawkins played the role of Tommy in It’s a Wonderful Life. Decades later the film was voted the most inspirational movie of all time by the American Film Institute. When it hit silver screen for Christmas season in 1946, it was a box-office flop and lost $500,000 even though it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The Central Coast's best kept food secret is the Pinquito Bean. Even if you eat Santa Maria-Style BBQ every day, you may not realize that the bean in the Ranch Beans is the Pinquito. And the beans don't travel any further than the Central Coast. Father Ian went exploring to discover where these come from, why the world doesn't know about them, and what to do with them beyond the Ranch Beans.

Kristen Hazard, the owner of San Luis Obispo software company, Suntoucher , talks about her shift from consulting to selling her own, self-funded app, and what it took to "bootstrap" a startup product. She shares why helping other women in tech is important, and gives some tips to women who want to enter the industry. And she describes her philosophy of generosity in business and why her company donates one percent of its profits to conserve local land.

KCBX's pioneering news director, Randol White, established the station's news department in 2014. He is now moving on to host All Things Considered for Capital Public Radio in Sacramento. KCBX Reporter Bree Zender spoke with Greta Mart, an accomplished radio journalist, who is replacing White as KCBX news director.

This coming season, the San Luis Obispo Symphony will audition five candidates for the position of music director. Marisa Waddell will speak with each one through May 2017. In this conversation, she chats with Maestro José-Luis Novo about his vision and ideas for the Symphony, and with David Hamilton, the chairman of the search committee.

Join the American roots music duo, Suzanne and Jim at the Historic Arkansas Museum in downtown Little Rock . The musical duo came to the museum to do a presentation about historic presidential campaign songs, from the mid 19 th century to President Roosevelt’s campaign slogan and song for the 1932 election, Happy Days are Here Again. You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR Podcast travel show Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer via: iTunes NPR.ORG...

David Helvarg is an ocean advocate and author of The Golden Shore: California's Love Affair with the Sea . He will be giving a series of speeches and book signings here on the Central Coast. The Cambria Land Trust will host Helvarg on Sunday afternoon from 3-5 on November 13, in Cambria at Vet's Hall. He'll also be signing books at Barnes & Noble Saturday afternoon November 12 and give a talk at the Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach the evening of November 12. Note: This...

Join Correspondent, Tom Wilmer at Willow Run for a conversation with Kevin Walsh, Executive Director of the Yankee Air Museum in Yipsilanti, Michigan . In the depths of WWII, Ford Motor Corporation opened the Willow Run Bomber plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1942 on the outskirts of Detroit.

In commemoration of the 75 th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor --probably the most transformative moment in 20 th century history--the island of Oahu will be hosting 11 days of events and memorials (December 1-11). Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Oahu as he talks with four-star Admiral, Thomas Fargo , retired Commander of the Pacific Fleet, and Chairman of the Hawaii governor’s Pearl Harbor 75 th Anniversary Committee .

"Your child has terminal cancer..." is a devastating statement for a parent to hear. But, one Central Coast man says there are critical, life-saving actions that can and should be taken following that moment.

Matt Ritter is a professor of biology at Cal Poly and an author of several natural history books. And he's going to be at the Deep Ecology Collaboratory on October 21-23 at Rancho El Chorro in San Luis Obispo. You can check out more details at ecologistics.org .

On today's "Playing With Food" for "Issues & Ideas", the emerging craft spirits industry leads to an educational adventure along the Central Coast, and some exploration in the kitchen as with vodka and moonshine.

Modern Aerobic exercise was the brainchild of Sheila Cluff back in 1959. Ms. Cluff was teaching middle school P.E. in Ottawa, Canada when she devised a plan to enthuse her students by putting skating routines to music.

From tying up teammates on buses to sleeping on the side of the road, life in baseball's minor leagues isn't easy. Join NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer associate producer Katya Cengel in a conversation with San Luis Obispo Blues ' coach Dan Marple. https://youtu.be/9J9R_QsEBKE

This coming season, the San Luis Obispo Symphony will audition five candidates for the position of music director. Marisa Waddell will speak with each one through May 2017. In this conversation, she chats with Maestro Andrew Sewell about his vision and ideas for the Symphony, and with David Hamilton, the chairman of the search committee.

Host of the NPR Podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer met up with Georgia Durante , at of all places, a summer camp for kids run by St. Vincent de Paul in the hills above Santa Barbara, California where she talks about her best selling book, The Company She Keeps chronicling her amazing life journey. Georgia Durante grew up in Rochester, New York, and her modeling career commenced when she was just 13 years old. Before long her stunning looks propelled her to cover-girl...

If you go less than a mile away from Camp Arroyo Grande , it’s like you’re in a different world. It’s right near the Arroyo Grande Village and Highway 101. There’s lots of local businesses, gas stations. A busy street.

Arroyo Grande, California historian, Jim Gregory spent years researching the lives of 52 Civil War veterans who settled in Arroyo Grande in the years following the war. The culmination of Gregory’s exhaustive research is his just released book, Patriot Graves—Discovering a California Town’s Civil War Heritage .